Chakotara

The Pomelo is a citrus fruit native to south East Asia. It is usually pale green to yellow when ripe, with sweet white (or, more rarely, pink or red) flesh and very thick spongy rind. It is the largest citrus fruit, 15-25 cm in diameter and usually weighing 1-2 kg in weight. Pomelos are also referred to as chakotara in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The pomelo tastes like a sweet, mild grapefruit, it has very little or none of the common grapefruit's bitterness, but the membranes of the segments is bitter and usually discarded. The peel is sometimes used to make marmalade, or candied then dipped in chocolate. The peel of the pomelo is also used in Chinese cooking or candied. In general, citrus peel is often used in southern Chinese cuisine for flavouring, especially in sweet soup desserts. Pomelo is an excellent source of Vitamin C and fiber and good source of folate. The pomelo tree has a recorded height of 16 to 50 ft tall, with a crooked trunk 4 to 12 inch thick, and low, irregular branches. The young branchlets are angular and often densely hairy, and there are spines on the branchlets, old limbs and trunk. Technically compound but appearing simple, having one leaflet, the leaves are alternate, ovate, ovate-oblong, or elliptic, 5-20 cm long, 2-12 cm wide, leathery, dull-green, glossy above, dull and minutely hairy beneath. The flowers are fragrant, borne singly or in clusters of 2 to 10 in the leaf axils. Pomelo has many medicinal uses also. Pomelo fruit and its oil vitiated pitta burning sensation, febrile fits in children, epilepsy, cough, asthma, and general weakness.